lung cancer?

Question

what are the symptoms of lung cancer?
early symptoms, is it a painful death?

Answer 1

Lung caner is not usually painful until it invades the pleura of the lung or another anatomical structure such as the bones, liver or brain.
Lung cancer is not always a painful death, but it can be if the sufferer does not have a physician who is excellent at pain control. This is why some lung cancer pts are refferred to hospice when they are terminal.
Hospice is an excellent support for lung cancer sufferers who have less than a year to live. They have unlimited knowledge in pain and symptom contol.
Lung cancer symptoms vary widely in the pt who has the diagnosis. Sometimes, it can be confused for other things because it spreads to other organs before you are aware you have it. If it spreads to the brain, you may experience stroke like symptoms, if it spreads to the bones, you can have a fracture and not realize the reason you broke your arm or leg is because it has metastatic lung cancer. Sometimes it spreads to the liver and makes the pt nauseated and have abdominal pain.
Hope that helps. I am a cancer nurse.

Answer 2

How Do People Know They Have Cancer?
The first sign of cancer is a symptom - a signal that something is wrong. There are many different signs that a person may have cancer, just as there are many different forms of the disease. A few of the more common symptoms of cancer include:

extreme exhaustion
swelling or lumps in certain parts of the body, such as the abdomen
headaches
blurred vision
nausea
problems with walking or balance
Only you know how your body works and what you feel like when you're healthy. If you haven't been feeling well, it's best to tell an adult who can make sure you see a doctor who will evaluate your symptoms. Cancer, like most illnesses, is easier to treat when it's found early, so when in doubt, check it out.

If a doctor suspects that a person has cancer, he or she will order various tests. These might include blood tests, in which doctors examine blood cells under a microscope to look for problems, X-rays, or an MRI, a test that can be used to detect tumors. Doctors also often use a biopsy (pronounced: bye-op-see) to diagnose cancer. In this procedure, a doctor removes a small tissue sample to examine it for cancer cells.

Answer 3

http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=2964
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/lungcancer.htm

a chronic cough.


worsening breathlessness.


weight loss.


excessive fatigue.


persistent pain in the chest or elsewhere, (possibly from the cancer spreading to a bone).


symptoms can be due to the original tumour in the lung or to the effects of secondary tumours elsewhere in the body.


one of the most significant symptoms of lung cancer is coughing up blood or haemoptysis. This can sometimes occur as an early warning sign of a cancer which may still be curable. Any person who coughs up blood should see their GP for advice urgently as lung cancer must be considered, particularly if the person is a smoker over the age of 40.